274 THOMAS CHAPLIN, ESQ., M.D., ON 



that certain pei'sons ai'e more susceptible to certain diseases than 

 others from their habits of life. When I was an East-End 

 curate, in my early ministry I remember it was said that sailors 

 were more amenable to cholera than others because of their 

 intemperate and free-and-easy living. I suppose that is so. 



On page 256 of the paper Dr. Chaplin says, " Diseases of the 

 eyes are very prevalent in Egypt and Palestine. Probably in no 

 other countries are there larger propoi'tions of blind people." 

 I can testify to Jerusalem and Cairo and Damascus, that although 

 many are not totally blind, there are as many, perhaps, with one 

 eye as two orbs. 



There is one matter that I think Dr. Chaplin has omitted as to 

 the cause of blindness, or originating ophthalmia, and that is the 

 flight of the common house-fly from one person to another, and 

 especially in the case of infants. The fly carries the ophthalmic 

 germ from one infant, whose sight is nearly gone, to another 

 wretched infant. The mother does not care to brush them off, 

 she says it is " Allah fated." 



In regard to lepers I have seen them between Jaffa and 

 Jerusalem. They do not stand " afar off " now, unfortunately, 

 crying out, " Unclean ! Unclean ! " but they come and clutch you 

 by the shoulder. There are no police to order the beggars off, 

 and it is therefore very awkward. The Russians have built a 

 hospital there for them. 



Professor Orchard. — The author at page 263 of the paper, the 

 beginning of the last paragraph, says, " That a local outbreak of 

 tzar^aath in the skin should be unclean, and that when it had 

 covered all the skin it was to be pronounced clean, seems at first 

 somewhat puzzling " ; but I suppose the explanation might be 

 that when the disease had covered all the skin it had exhausted 

 its energy. That would seem to be the natural explanation. 

 This reminds me of a remark of Lord Bacon's on speaking of 

 the leper. " A leper, when all covered over with sores, might be 

 pronounced clean ; but when he was partially leprous he was 

 pronounced unclean because when he was covered with leprosy 

 people would be aware of him, but when he was partially so they 

 would not, and so he might do great harm in spreading disease." 

 With regard to demoniacal possession, on page 259, Dr. Chaplin 

 seems to doubt whether the thing goes on in the present day ; but 

 I read, not very long ago, accounts written by missionaries of the 



